


Days in Hanamaru

by NoonoosKitchen



Series: Shukitashu canapés [20]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), I just wish Yusuke were one of my sword boys, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Touken Ranbu crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26318137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoonoosKitchen/pseuds/NoonoosKitchen
Summary: After begrudgingly accepting the role of the sage who must protect the flow of history, Akira’s living his monotonous days in complete ennui. It’s not until a certain sword warrior joins his ranks that his new life starts to brighten.
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Shukitashu canapés [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615258
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Days in Hanamaru

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe you’ll try to read this and will be confused. I just wanted to write it to scratch an itch that I knew no one would get for me.  [ Reading this may help. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touken_Ranbu)

The last rays of light seep through the trees of the indoor garden creating an uneven pattern on the surface of the lake, all the wildlife that calls it its home perfectly visible through the crystalline water. The image is short of awe inspiring, and Akira’s convinced that if he sat on the porch and looked at it for a few minutes, he would pass out on the spot. The day has been long and very busy, all he wants to do is close his eyes and rest before the same routine needs to be repeated tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the knaggy voice of his monstrous cat assistance is sure not to let him indulge in those fantasies. Loud as always, Morgana’s perched on his shoulders and reciting a long report of all the exploits of the day; from expedition's results, to tended farmland, to repair supplies used. More work he’ll need to file tomorrow… His head is starting to ache just from thinking about it.

“Master, are you listening?!” The call yells right in his ear, making him wince.

“Yeah yeah… I’ll just file it later, ok? Let’s get this over with and call it a day.”

“Mmhh, what a cocky tone for such a slow working fellow!” With a flourish, the cat jumps off his shoulders and lands right in front of him, his deep blue eyes locking with his. “I remind you that you’re the only one who can carry the duties of the Saniwa. We barely managed to move our front lines to Shokuho, and you already want to slow down. History won’t recover its correct course if you keep slacking off!”

A bit annoyed by the accusation, Akira stops on his tracks and returns the cat’s glare, pressing his lips as to not refute him with a rude comment.

It’s in their -way to common- bickering moments when Akira can’t help but reminisce about how this demonic cat showed at his doorstep one day and snatched him into this in-between time location, claiming that he needed to use his powers to protect and restore history. If by using his powers he meant turning legendary swords into handsome men… All he does is stay at his desk and research the history of Japan all day! He’s sick of it.

With what sounds like a cough, the two-tailed tattooed cat gets his attention back on him, his judging eyes peering into his soul.

“Morgana, I’m too tired for this now,” he settles with, stepping around the cat to continue his way.

“You won’t get away with it tomorrow though, you need to get your act together if you truly want to impose yourself to the new recruits,” he keeps chastising him, easily getting back into his shoulders by climbing up his hakama's sleeve.

“This one better be good, we’ve been waiting for him all afternoon…”

The reason why he isn’t already resting in his chambers is because he needs to sort out this last smithing of the day. The usage of one of his rare ofudas guaranteed that he would obtain a new powerful ally, but unfortunately he couldn't spare extra resources to speed up the process. Finally, after a long wait of four hours, the job is completed and he can welcome the new sword before he goes reunite with his warm and comfortable bed. 

Walking past the smithing facilities, Akira steps into the side room attached to them and enters the obscured chamber. The remaining sunlight seeps into it, gleaming off the blade delicately posted on a stand in the middle of the room. He kneels in front of it and observes the enchanting appeal of the curved tachi, cold and unmoving. After releasing a sigh, he fishes out a blessed summoning paper and places it on the blade. As a whirlwind of cherry blossom petals emerge from the piece of paper and start to envelop the sword, he takes a few steps back and watches the now all too familiar ritual, a tall figure manifesting in the middle of the gush of wind.

The petals start to slowly fall to the ground, revealing the newly created warrior, and Akira feels his breathing stop when two pools of deep silver lock with his eyes.

Proudly standing in front of him there's a slender man with features as frail as freshly laid snow, scarred with crimson makeup that resembles that of kitsune masks. His long, midnight blue hair is tied on a high ponytail, the cascades of silky hair falling over his right shoulder and seamlessly merging with the swirls and patterns of blue and white of his garments. The armour he wears is light, and Akira swears the two odd looking protrusions on his head twitch when he clears his throat. As he opens his mouth to speak, the sage of time catches a glimpse of sharp fangs.

“I am Yusuke Kitagawa, the artist sword who seeks to witness the true beauty of this world. From now on, I will serve as your subordinate,” declares the man in a voice rich and smooth, his clawed hand curling around the hilt of his sword.

Unable to tear his eyes off him, Akira unconsciously lets out a gasp of fascination, the capability to form a response lacking at the moment.

***

Fingers drumming against the wood of the desk, Akira lets his eyes scan the document Morgana just brought to him. His break is due in about 25 minutes, and he’s so impatient for it that it’s quite difficult for him to concentrate.

“... and that sums up all our activities for the last few weeks. Now we should discuss the formation for our next front line departure.”

“Just repeat the same as last time.”

Morgana’s feline face scrunches as if annoyed. “You should reconsider. Kitagawa’s still too weak to be sent to sorties into Kamakura, and he also doesn’t understand his duties as team leader. You should assign the position to someone else.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll catch up with the rest in no time. And he can manage pretty we-”

“You should also consider assigning someone else as your secretary sword, there are plenty of more capable ones in our roster.”

“He does just fin-” 

“He does not! He used the money saved for more smithing supplies on paints!”

Letting the piece of paper on the desk, Akira takes his eyes up and glues them to his assistance.

“Aren’t I the one calling the shots here? If I’ve assigned Yusuke to all these duties, your job is to accommodate them so that it’s easier for him to do them, not to question my decisions. He will remain as the secretary and the team leader.”

“You’re way too benevolent with him. What’s gotten into you? It almost seems like you’re in lo-”

Before their conversation can continue, a voice from the outside interrupts them.

“Master, could you spare a minute of your time?”

Akira’s lips curl into a smile when he recognizes the familiar and warm voice.

“Speak of the Devil…” The cat poorly whispers under his breath.

The sage decides to ignore him, feelings in a much better mood all of a sudden. “Come in.”

Gently opening the sliding door, the kitsune sword peeks his head inside the room, as if he were fearful to be intruding. Now that he’s out of his battle attire, his long hair is gathered in a low and loose ponytail that travels down the length of his back. The upper part of his clothes is so lightly tied that it leaves a big opening, making his collarbones and the beginning of his chest exposed. His face is still adorned with the intricate red makeup, but his tender smile and earnest eyes more than compensate for its threatening intent. His tall and slender figure, now surrounded by the early afternoon light framing him from behind, has an ethereal and entrancing aura, and Akira can’t help but be mesmerized by it. 

“Good afternoon Master,” he starts, voice calm and soothing as ever. “I was wondering if you’d be available for a stroll in the gardens, but it seems you’re still preoccupied. I shall return la-”

Without letting him finish, Akira stands up and arranges his clothes. “I’m done, let’s go.”

As he’s walking towards the exit, Morgana jumps off the desk and starts following him. “You are no-!”

“It’s time for my break, see you in a bit.”

And with that, Akira closes the sliding door, leaving a screaming and furious cat on the inside. Ignoring the ruckus, he turns to Yusuke and gently places a hand on his back, guiding him away from his workplace.

“You said you wanted to go see the garden?”

“Yes, I was hoping to observe the nature around us in search of inspiration.”

“That’s a good idea, should we start from the teahouse then?” He proposes, letting his hand fall from the sword’s back.

At the loss of the contact, Yusuke turns his head to look at him, but his blank expression doesn’t let Akira read his inner thoughts. “Splendid, please lead the way Master.”

They start their little walk from the small teahouse, following the stone path all around the green, flush garden. As they pass through the different sites, Yusuke begins to ramble about all the things that the environment makes him feel, contemplating nature and talking about how he could portray that feeling of peace and calmness into his next piece. At the peak of his conversation, he stops on the curved bridge crossing the clear pond to gather his thoughts and be able to voice all the turmoil going around his busy head.

As per usual, Akira stays silent and listens, resting his elbows on the rail of the bridge and gluing his eyes to the artist. It’s undeniable how much brighter his life has gotten ever since the kitsune sword showed up. Morgana likes to bicker about the shameless favouritism he shows him, and Akira can’t deny it; Yusuke’s the only one he bothers to cure personally when he comes injured from battle, the one who he feeds dango and expensive bentos so that he never feels fatigues, and the first one to whom he assigns duties.

Yusuke seems to enjoy fieldwork the most, so Akira always procures to leave it to him, though from time to time he has to put up with his -cute, albeit disappointed- face when it’s time for horsekeeping or sparring. When that happens though, Akira’s sure to compensate him with some quality time and caresses; he loves brushing his soft hair and scratching his... fox ears? He’s not entirely sure what they are, but he knows that Yusuke loves getting scratches right behind them and having his hair played with. He also seems overjoyed whenever he's sent to expeditions and sorties, pouring all his newly learned experiences into his main hobby, painting, in which he’s marvellous at.

With his enthusiastic spirit and calm demeanour, Akira couldn’t be more pleased with him.

When the sword warrior is satisfied with the explanation, they continue their stroll until they get back to the citadel. The combination of the light exercise and the warm weather have started to affect Akira, who is now feeling tired and sleepy. Stopping for a while on the shadowed wooden porch sounds like a good idea.

“Would you like to rest on the porch for a bit?”

“Why yes, let us spend some time observing the pond.”

They sit next to each other, Yusuke going for a perfect posture while Akira lazily seats with his legs slightly apart, propping himself up with his arms. Now that he has stopped moving, the sage can feel his eyelids growing heavy and his body slouching, completely dried of energy.

“A cup of green tea would be most welcomed now…” He hears Yusuke comment, but he can’t reply since his body is moving on it’s own to make him lay on his side, head going to rest on the sword’s lap and eyes already closed.

He hears a small intake of air, a sign of surprise, but no further words shatter the atmosphere now surrounding them. Akira adjusts his posture a bit and wills himself to stay as still as possible, not wanting to let this opportunity escape. To his delight, only a few seconds later he starts to feel bony fingers combing his unruly black curls, claws lightly scratching his head in an attempt of a massage.

The sage feels his throat rumbled, as if wanting to release a pleased purr at the affections, but he manages to silence it in time. Now he understands why Yusuke likes it so much when he brushes his lush hair, the gesture is quickly making him lose consciousness. And Yusuke’s thighs are so comfortable… He might get addicted to it. 

Just as he nuzzles further into his soft pillow, he feels the claws lost in his hair travel down to his nape, lightly scratching there. The touch makes a shiver run down his spire, and he can’t help but tremble at the sensation. A quiet laughter comes from above him, and Akira feels his cheeks grow a bit warmer than the rest of his body. The claws abandon his nap and go back to massaging his scalp, which helps his senses calm down and his sleepiness to return. It doesn’t take much for him to finally fall asleep under the watchful eye of his loyal fox.

**Author's Note:**

> *takes a big gulp of fluffy shukita* Aaah…. I feel rejuvenated.
> 
> Thanks for reading <3
> 
> [ twitter ](http://twitter.com/nature_check)


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